Friends, Questions and Gal Pals
by regalducklingsxx
Summary: SQ Week 2: Jealously. Emma sees Maleficent and Regina having breakfast at Granny's and has a lot of questions (takes place sometime in the second half of season 4).


**AN:** A little late but here's my submission for the second prompt of SQ week! This takes place sometime in the second half of season 4.

 **Friends, Questions and Gal Pals**

"Emma? Are you listening to me?" Emma didn't respond and narrowed her eyes, trying to get a better look at the two women across the room. "Emma?"

Finally her brain registered that the voice she was hearing was talking to her. "Sorry, what?" She reluctantly focused her attention on the couple sitting in front of her.

"What were you looking so hard at?" Charming asked, turning around and scanning the diner, which was mostly empty now that the breakfast rush had ended. "Something going on outside?" Emma had stopped listening and had focused her attention back on the couple across the room. "Emma?"

"Hm?" She asked without moving her eyes.

"Did Regina do something?" This time, it was her mother speaking.

"Why would you ask that?"

"You've been staring over there since you walked in ten minutes ago… everything ok?"

"Yeah, yeah everything's fine." She frowned and blindly grabbed the coffee in front of her. "Everything's fine," She repeated.

Now it was Snow's turn to frown, "You just said that." She reached across the table and pressed the back of her hand against Emma's forehead, "Are you sick?"

Emma pulled back and quickly looked down when she saw the blue-eyed woman across the room look up and smirk at her. "What? No! I'm fine." She took a large gulp of her coffee and winced when it set her throat on fire. "What were you saying? Something about a party?"

When Charming saw the expression on his wife's face, he placed his hand over hers. "We were thinking of throwing a dinner party sometime this month…" He trailed off when he noticed Emma had already gone back to staring at the couple across the room.

"Yeah, a dinner party… sounds fun," Emma said, sounding unfocused and distracted.

Snow exhaled loudly, placed her elbows on the table and leaned forward. "What did Regina do now?"

Emma glanced back at her mother and made a face. "Why do you think she did something?"

"Because you've been staring at her since you got here! Is she trying to stop you from seeing Henry again?"

"No! It's nothing like that!" Emma glanced across the room and back at her mother. "It's just… I didn't know they were friends."

Snow turned to look at the two women and then twisted back around so she was facing Emma. "Regina and Maleficent? They've been friends for ages."

Emma was quiet for a minute while she debated asking the question that had been on her mind for weeks now. "Friends or _friends_?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know… are they friends? Or…" She lifted her eyebrows, " _friends_?"

"Aren't they the same thing?" Charming asked.

Emma snorted. "No, you don't do the same things with your friends that you'd do with your _friends_."

This time it was Snow's turn to ask the question, "Why do you keep saying the same word over and over?"

"You know, are they friends or…" She paused and tried to think of the best word to describe what she was trying to covertly figure out. "Gal pals?"

"What's a gal pal?" Snow asked, her face twisting into a look of confusion. "Is that like a friend that's a girl?"

"Well.. kinda. But it's… you know," Emma lifted her eyebrows again and motioned with her hands.

"No, I don't know."

Emma made a face and rubbed her hand across her face. "You know, there's, like, friends that you hang out with and then there are friends that you do… other stuff with."

"But it's still a friend?" Charming asked, looking even more confused than Snow.

"Technically, yes. But sometimes a little more than that."

"So you want to know if they're friends?"

Emma groaned and slid down in the booth. "I know they're friends… I just wanna know if they were ever _friends_."

"Why do you keep saying 'friends' like that?" Snow asked after she glanced at Charming and was somewhat relieved to see he looked just as confused as her.

"Because I'm not talking about normal friends… I'm talking about…" She wracked her brain, trying to come up with the most appropriate word. "Special friends."

"Like best friends?" Charming replied, starting to look proud of himself for following his daughter's thoughts.

Emma opened her mouth and closed it. "Sometimes yes…. but not always."

"Emma will you just spit it out?" Snow asked just as Regina threw her head back and laughed loudly, the sound echoing in the nearly empty diner.

Emma frowned when she saw the look on Maleficent's face. "Are there lesbians in the Enchanted Forest?" Charming coughed, nearly choking on the sip of coffee he'd taken just as Emma began her question, while Snow flushed. "Or, you know, bisexual men and women?"

Her parents continued staring at her for a moment and Snow was the first one to recover. "You want to know if they were ever in a relationship?"

"Not them in particular!" Emma lied, hoping they wouldn't catch on. "Just in general, ya know?"

Snow cleared her throat and smoothed the napkin in her lap. Before she could respond, Ruby came by to refill their coffee cups. "Everything ok over here?" She asked, reaching down to grab Emma's mug.

"Great," Snow replied, sounding rushed.

Ruby raised her eyebrows and glanced at Emma. "You sure about that?"

When Snow just smiled at her, Emma decided to ask her question again. "Ruby, were there any non-straight people in the Enchanted Forest?"

Ruby grinned widely. "Oh yeah! Tons!"

Emma couldn't stop the surprised look that crossed her face. "Really?"

"I'm mean, people weren't necessarily always open about it. It kinda depended on where you were." She placed the cup back on the table winked at Emma, "But there were always ways to find out." She reached across the table and grabbed Charming's cup, "I can't really speak for the number of men but I know there were a good amount of women." She saw the look on Snow's face and laughed, "Oh come on, are you really telling me you had no idea? Even you aren't that blind, Snow."

Before anyone could respond, Ruby walked back to the counter and Emma took a moment to focus her attention back on the women across the room until Regina stood and starting walking in her direction. The dark haired woman nodded at their table as she made her way to the bathroom and Emma waited all of ten seconds before she stood. "I'll be right back." She hurried after Regina and stepped into the bathroom. She leaned against the wall next to the sinks and chewed her lip. A few moments later, Regina stepped out of the stall and jumped slightly when she saw Emma standing there.

"Can I help you?" Emma didn't respond but continued to look at Regina. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No."

Regina made a face and turned the sink closest to her on and began washing her hands. When she reached for a paper towel, she saw the other woman was still staring at her. " _What?_ " She asked, sounding irritated.

"I have a question."

"Well don't think too hard, you'll hurt yourself."

"Are you…" Regina dried her hands and motioned for Emma to hurry up. "What I mean is…"

"Can you spit it out sometime this year?"

"Are you and Maleficent… friends?"

"Yes."

"Friends or _friends_?"

Regina raised her eyebrows, "You do realize you just said the same word twice, right?"

Emma rolled her eyes and waited for Regina to respond. When she didn't, Emma shoved her hands in her back pockets. "Well, are you?"

"Do I consider Maleficent my friend?" Emma nodded. "Yes."

"Like, friends or _friends_?"

Now it was Regina's turn to roll her eyes. "I don't have time for this. I had hoped you'd at least gotten your mother's brains but it looks like you take after your father."

"Regina! I'm being serious!"

"Why are you whining?"

"I'm not!"

Regina scoffed and turned around to look in the mirror as she fixed her hair. "Now I know where Henry gets that awful whining tone."

"Will you just answer the question!"

"I just did!"

"So you're friends?"

"Are you dense?"

"Just answer the question!"

"Yes!"

"And _friends_?"

"Why do you keep saying it like that?!" Regina asked, raising her voice even more.

"Because!"

Regina rolled her eyes for what felt like the hundredth time, "I'm arguing with a child."

"Hey! I'm not –"

"Are you two having fun?" The two women turned to look at the person who had just walked in the door. "I hope I'm not interrupting something," Maleficent teased, moving to stand so that the three of them formed a triangle.

"Of course not. Miss Swan is just being her usual, delightful self."

Emma shot a look at the former Mayor but before she could respond, Maleficent spoke again. "I just need to wash my hands and then we can head on."

Regina nodded and moved towards the door. Just as she was about to walk out, she turned back around and looked at Emma. "I'm assuming you don't have any more questions to ask me? Or I guess I should say ask the same question over and over." She was gone before Emma could respond to the sarcastic quip.

A moment later, she looked up and saw Maleficent smirking at her while leaning against the sinks. "Something you want to ask me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did you know dragons have excellent hearing?"

"Oh…" Emma bit her lip and wished she'd paid more attention to Regina's poofing lessons (immediately in her head, she could hear Regina's voice chastising her, "For the last time, I do not _poof_ , Miss Swan!") so she'd be able to make a quick exit. "You heard?" The amused look on Maleficent's face said it all. "Everything?"

Maleficent ignored her and began to speak, "To answer your question," She paused and smiled even wider. "Yes, we were both friends and _friends_."

"How long ago?"

"Why so curious?"

"Just because."

"Very eloquent." Maleficent raised an eyebrow before turning and adjusting the collar of her jacket while looking at herself in the mirror. "Regina and I have known each other for a long time. We've been friends for many years." She looked at Emma in the mirror, "I can't give you an exact timeline, if that's what you're looking for."

Emma crossed her arms across her chest and leaned against the wall. "When was the last time?"

Maleficent's smile widened and she turned and walked towards Emma, stoping when she was only a step away. She lowered her voice and winked. "I don't kiss and tell, Sheriff." Emma's mouth dropped opened and Maleficent continued speaking before she could formulate a response. "But don't worry, I know how to share. And besides… you don't have to worry. Regina's always had a thing for blondes."

Emma stayed in the bathroom for several more minutes and when she got back to her table, she saw Maleficent and Regina exit the diner. She watched them walk past the large window as they made their way to Regina's car that was parked down the street.

"Everything ok?" Snow asked.

Emma nodded and picked at the muffin sitting in front of her. "Yeah, sorry. I just got distracted. Now what did you say about this party?"

Almost thirty minutes after Snow began discussing the guest list, Ruby came by and handed Emma a napkin that had been folded over. "Maleficent told me to give you this… said it had the information you wanted?" Ruby's curiosity made the statement sound more like a question than a sentence.

When Emma unfolded it, she saw there was a short message written in neat cursive, " _11:00… if you're curious."_ Emma felt her eyes double in size and she quickly folded the napkin back over when she felt Ruby trying to lean forward and read it.

"Emma? What does it say?" Charming asked, leaning forward and craning his neck, trying to catch a glimpse of the napkin.

"Nothing!" Emma stuffed it in the pocket of her jacket and quickly stood up. "I forgot I have some stuff to do down at the station. I'll see you guys later, ok?"

Snow frowned, "It's Saturday. Why are you –"

Before she could finish her sentence, Emma was already walking towards the door. "I'll call you!" She yelled over her shoulder. Five minutes later, her she pulled up to the large white mansion and put her car in park. After taking a deep breath, she began hurrying up the brick walkway and knocked on the door. Moment later, the door swung open and Maleficent was standing in front of her with an amused look on her face.

"You don't waste any time, do you Sheriff?" Emma strained to hear if anyone else was in the house. "Looking for someone?"

"What did your note mean?"

"What do you think it means?"

"What's with you an Regina always answering a question with a question?"

Just as Maleficent began to respond, Emma saw Regina walking out of the living room, adjusting her shirt and shrugging her jacket on. When she saw Emma, her face flushed slightly. "What are you doing here?"

Emma opened her mouth but before she could come up with an excuse, Maleficent began speaking, "She had some questions about the Enchanted Forest and I figured it'd be more fun than staying inside and reading all day while you're working. I'm still not sure how I feel about this televive thing you were talking about the other day."

"Television," Regina correcting before making a face that suggested she wasn't completely convinced by Maleficent's excuse. "Right… well, I'll be back in a few hours." She stepped past Emma but before she could step down the first step, Maleficent called out to her.

"Regina!" The dark haired woman turned around. "You missed a button, dear." Regina flushed and hurried towards her car while Emma's mouth dropped open and she stared at Regina's retreating back. When she glanced back at Maleficent, she saw that the older woman was grinning.

"So, you said you had some questions?"


End file.
